East Greenwich sailor returning home from Afghanistan

EAST GREENWICH TWP. — John Wurtenberg III will be touching down at the Philadelphia airport Saturday morning, and for the family of the returning sailor, it’s a welcome relief and will be a day of celebration.

John Wurtenberg III is returning to East Greenwich after a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan

Wurtenberg, 22, was serving on the USS Carl Vinson — the aircraft carrier which held the funeral for Osama Bin Laden — outside of Afghanistan since late last year.

“We knew he was going to Afghanistan, but we didn’t know the goal,” said his mother Elaine Wurtenberg.

She was told that although he was aware of what was happening, he did not witness Bin Laden’s burial, as there were 5,000 sailors aboard the vessel.

Wurtenberg entered the Navy shortly after his 2006 graduation from Kingsway Regional High School and currently serves as an electronics technician third class, also known as ET3, aboard the ship. The Carl Vinson is normally stationed in Coronado, Calif., but was deployed in November. And while the ship was at sea, his family worried and waited for his return, keeping up on the ship’s progress through its Facebook page.

“They weren’t allowed to give us much information. It’s that old theory ‘loose lips sink ships,’” Elaine Wurtenberg said. “Especially after Osama Bin Laden they had to be very quiet. But the Facebook page gives us a glimpse of life aboard the ship. We were able to keep some contact.”

The Carl Vinson pulled into port in California last week, and Wurtenberg’s parents, along with his sister, were all standing on the pier waiting for him.

“It was extremely emotional when we finally saw him on the ship,” Elaine said. “You don’t see these kids for months and months and just knowing the magnitude of what they sacrificed for the country.”

In the months that he was away, his mother worried, but felt a little more secure knowing her son was aboard an aircraft carrier, supporting the ground troops, rather than being on the ground himself.

“I feel blessed that he’s a sailor and not on land. I’m always worried because anything can happen,” she said. “But, I think as a military parent you have to keep it in perspective or every day you’ll wake up walking on eggshells.”

Wurtenberg will return to the USS Carl Vinson after his visit to New Jersey, and has a desire to continue his Navy career and eventually train to become a Navy Seal.